| By Regan Doherty DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar has defended its right to host U.N. talks on slowing global warming even though its greenhouse gas output per capita is the highest in the world and it has made no pledge to cut it. Qataris produce almost three times as many carbon emissions on average than Americans and campaigners attending the two-week talks among 200 nations which started on Monday say the first OPEC nation to host them is doing little to avert climate change other than provide a venue. The Gulf state, the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas with the one of the highest per capital incomes, has yet to indicate it will set specific targets for emissions cuts. "The problem with Qatar is that they have not proven they are taking climate change seriously," Climate Action Network Director Wael Hmaidan told Reuters. "Negotiators and governments are coming here not knowing where the Qataris stand." Navigating divisions between developed and developing nations in terms of who should be responsible for emissions reductions will be a key challenge for the hosts, analysts say. "Part of the reason Copenhagen was seen as a failure was because the Danish chairing of it was disastrous," a Doha-based analyst said, referring to a U.N. climate summit in 2009 in the Danish capital that fell short of a deal. Qatar, with 1.8 million inhabitants - of which only about 250,000 are Qatari - says its emissions are small overall. "Our CO2 comes mainly from the energy sector. I never believe in per-capita as a measure for distribution. I think it's calculated to show the small countries as the bad boys," former oil minister Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, presiding over the talks, told a news conference. "I believe Qatar is a good place (for the conference). Other host countries produce coal," Attiyah said. Coal emits roughly twice as much carbon dioxide per unit of energy produced. SOLAR AIR CONDITIONING Qatar points to green efforts including a 90-percent reduction in wasteful gas flaring from 2007 to 2011. Continued... |